Earlier this month, Epic and Google reached an agreement for a settlement in their years-long case that would see Google upend the way it does business through the Google Play Store, and all that was left was for the two companies to wait for approval of this settlement. It looks like that settlement may not be coming. At the very least, there’s concern about the settlement to the point that Judge James Donato isn’t sure if he can grant the approval.
The settlement’s terms would potentially have a pretty big impact across the industry. Google would open the Play Store to competitors, allowing alternative app stores to be listed in the Play Store. Google would also push out the amount of time that developers would be able to register and have their app stores listed. What’s more is that Google would lower its fees on purchases, depending on the purchase. To top it all off, these changes would extend beyond the US. It seems like a good deal for everyone involved. Google wins, Epic wins, developers win, and users win. Except, maybe not. Donato isn’t sold on the deal.
Approval for the settlement in the Epic and Google case has been postponed
It’s unclear if the settlement will be granted approval, but that doesn’t mean the settlement is being thrown out the window. For now, the approval has simply been postponed. Judge Donato has expressed that the settlement is a concern based on a few factors. One of those is that he finds it strange that Google and Epic are now suddenly being cordial to each other, when the two have been very publicly hostile in court for several years.
In addition to this, Donato says that the settlement may not meet the legal threshold required to modify an existing court ruling. One of the requirements is that the settlement would need to showcase significant changes in circumstances. At this moment, Donato doesn’t see that. Noting that the only change he sees is that “Epic and Google – two mortal enemies who pounded each other relentlessly in this courtroom for many years – are suddenly BFFs.” Donato has scheduled another hearing, which is expected to take place sometime next month or in January 2026. This will give him time to review the proposal and decide if approval should be granted.
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